EU to launch program to aid Palestinians facing settler violence

The European Union will soon launch a program to support Palestinians facing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority and the EU office in Jerusalem say.

“In coordination with the government, the European Union will launch a program to support victims of settler terrorism,” Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says in a statement.

“It’s a project that the EU is developing with local and international NGOs with the aim of documenting attacks on Palestinians by violent Israeli settlers and to support the communities that are victims of such attacks,” the office of the local EU representative tells AFP.

A source at the office adds that the project, led by civil society organizations and supported by the EU, “will provide protective presence and protective equipment such as fences to Palestinian communities facing attacks from settlers.”

The program is expected to be finalized within a few months, and its budget should be “around six million euros,” the source adds.

Settler violence has risen in recent months, with near-daily attacks reported and few arrests.